Cinderella at the Grave
by mademoiselle anna
Summary: He simply invested too much of his time, his mind, his emotion on her.
1. one

Cinderella at the Grave

By anna

_All general disclaimers apply_

**Experiment: **Repetition

_one_

--

…_And they died happily ever after _

--

She wasn't exactly the beauty queen of Konoha; that title belonged to Ino and Ino alone. She couldn't turn heads walking down the streets except maybe naked. She wasn't blessed with delicious voluptuous curves like the Hyuuga heiress or had gloriously soft hair like Tenten. As much as she hated to admit it, but men of Konoha would probably prefer Naruto's sexy no jutsu in their bed than her.

At best, she was odd looking. A glimpse of her pink hair would intrigue some men's attention, but their hopeful faces would fall dramatically when they realized she wasn't the eye candy Konoha was known to produce. She had enough curves to differentiate her gender, but nowhere near enough to do it justice.

But what she lacked in feminine guiles, she more than made up in strength. The lack of suitors, she blamed on men's inevitable intimidation of a strong career woman- the other possible alternative was too depressing to even bother.

Sakura sighed and opted to go back to her studying, mindless musings over her sad misfortunes were going to be the death of her someday. From behind the curtain of her pink hair, Sakura noticed the Mist ambassador bidding goodbye to Tsunade. She continued to watch as the hokage left the hospital grounds, leaving the envoy alone. She followed his gaze as they settled on her, Sakura sighed at the tell-tale signs of male intrigue.

The diplomat tilted his head in fascination and Sakura sighed again when he began to amble over in her direction. As much as she enjoyed false hopes of attention, it was best to put the man out of his misery now than leave him utterly disappointed when whatever fantasy of meeting an ethereal beauty was cruelly distinguished. Casually, she tucked her hair behind her ear, revealing a side of her face.

As expected, the man stopped dead in his track, his young face showed traces of… fear? That was a new one. It was often disappointment. Disappointment she could handle… fear was an uncharted territory in which she had no desire to tread over. Mulling over the new found powers her mere appearance could instill on the opposite sex, Sakura flinched when a hand nudged her shoulder.

"Sakura," a deep masculine voice called.

"Sasuke-kun," she greeted the avenger (avenged). Closing her book, the pink haired medic looked up to the man that was staring down at her with an authority he thought he possessed. He probably did.

"I'm here for my check up," he said briefly.

Sakura nodded and tugged on his hand lightly. Now here was a man whose face didn't distort in disappointment when he looked at her. The promised gold bands on their ring fingers made sure of that.

The impossibly handsome Uchiha allowed himself to be dragged off by his intended. When they passed, he smirked slightly at the young diplomat who was still staring at him with fear instilled eyes.

--

They were not married; they were not engaged; they were simply 'intended' for each other. The title was mutually neutral but oh so deliciously presumptuous with its possessive undertone. Fingering the gold band lightly, Sakura opted to drape her entire arm over his body. He was sleeping and for some reasons, his easy slumber annoyed her. It was a trend he picked up after being with her for a year, as flattering as the implication was, sleep was the last thing on her mind, and it shouldn't be on his either.

"Sasuke Uchiha,"

"Hn?"

"Pay attention to me,"

"Ummpph," the sounds of Sasuke burying his face in the pillow answered her.

"I don't care if you're sleeping or not, I'm going to have sex with you and that's that,"

"…"

"I'm taking off my shirt,"

"Hn,"

"My bra is coming off too… ah, never mind, I'm not wearing one,"

"…"

"Now I must warn you, I'm going to pounce on you. I would really appreciate it if you don't kill me as some sort of ninja instinct or avenger complex."

"Hm,"

"Here I come…"

"…"

"You should know… I am very excited about this,"

"…"

"…"

"Sakura?"

The Uchiha propped up his head and turned questioningly at the woman next to him. His confused eyes transformed into an unmistakable glare when found her sleeping. He clicked his tongue in slight annoyance when his searching fingers came into contact with her bare flesh. The woman he chose worthy enough to share his bed had decided to sleep instead of raping him. Sasuke found the shirt she previously claimed to have removed and gingerly began to dress her. His fingers worked to button her and once he was done, he drew her closer to his body.

--

Neji raised an eyebrow when his silver eyes caught sight of a shiny object. The offending culprit was a gold band that encircled her finger. It bothered him that she didn't appear even the least disturbed at the weight the trinket must possess. Kunoichi should not be allowed to wear jewelry.

"That is going to be a nuisance," the Hyuuga said, pointing at the glistening ring.

Sakura looked down at the object of his resentment and raised her head again in confusion.

"It's going to be a nuisance during a spar," he elaborated, "Do not wear that in my presence."

She nodded in passive understanding and slipped the ring off of her finger, placing it with care next to her bag.

"Your exam is in a little more than a month," the Hyuuga reminded the woman in front of him.

His commanding voice demanded her attention and Sakura fixed her green eyes on the Anbu. It had been a month since she decided to search him out and told him that he was going to train her for the next Anbu recruit. Maybe he thought she looked pathetic, or maybe her feistiness intrigued him, but either way Neji accepted, earning a few blinks of surprise from the woman who was obviously prepared for a little more haggling.

Without a word, the Hyuuga activated his Byakugan, signaling of the spar's commencement. He smirked lightly when she disappeared from sight. The ground beneath him rumbled and he jumped to avoid the broken cement that was protruding with incredible savagery. Neji noticed an incredible force approaching from behind and barely managed to dodge her chakra scalpel. The Anbu effortlessly caught her hand and spun her forward, mercilessly driving the medic into the ground.

Her large green eyes showed some discomfort and her let her go immediately. Neji took a step back and surveyed the area again, noticing the muffled sounds of a clone dissipating from behind him. It was captivating how she managed to evade his Byakugan thus far. The dark silhouette of a woman caught his attention and disappeared again, fueling the Hyuuga's fascination.

The dance of her elusive shadows was hypnotizing and the Anbu found himself cursing his easy absorption when her hands came in contact with his neck. Their stumble to the ground was a battle of dominance. In such close contact, Sakura's size was her handicap when his larger frame pinned her confidently, a kunai's sharp blade grazed the nape of her neck. Sakura sighed dramatically in mocked disappointment.

"I was good," she smirked.

"How did you do it? Evading the Byakugan," he asked from above.

"I'll tell you if you let me go, our little tumble gave me a nasty scrape on my knee,"

Using his hands as leverage, the Anbu pushed himself off of the smaller woman. She got up in a sitting position and pushed her dress up to her thigh to inspect the aforementioned nasty scrape. The Hyuuga knelt down next to her and scoffed.

"It's just a little peeled," he said simply, his forefinger poked the spreading red blotch.

"Ow," the pink haired woman grumbled.

"That band-aid, it's from last week isn't it?" Neji asked, pointing at the area of her inner thigh.

"So?"

"Why don't you take it off already? I'm sure it's healed by now,"

"Are you crazy?" her eyes widened alarmingly.

Neji rolled his eyes, she was afraid to rip her own band-aid and he knew it. The Anbu found it odd that a band-aid could instill more fear than having her tenketsu closed.

"You're awfully short,"

"What?" she was getting grumpy, he knew she was a little sensitive about her height.

"What are you? 4'11?"

"I'm 5'4 thank you very much," Sakura retorted angrily, "Ow! blah"

Sakura looked up to see the Anbu holding her band-aid with a smirk on his face. He had used her distraction to remove her arch-nemesis. Standing up, Neji offered her his hand politely.

"Let's go, the Uchiha will have my hide if you're not with him before dark,"

Sakura nodded and put back her gold band before accepting his hand. She winced slightly when the Anbu viciously squeezed her hand, feeling the hard metal crushed against her bones.

--

Sakura hated being alone. The Uchiha compound was extremely cold at night and she hated the way her imagination would immediately conjure sinister ghouls of past's bygones. Sasuke left her some food and a note. Written simply and in perfect handwriting, he reminded her of his meeting with Tsunade that night.

Shoving some rice cake in her mouth, Sakura wondered idly how she managed to survive without food before she moved in with Sasuke. She wasn't much of a chef, actually, she was so bad that even Naruto complained. The blond had been her roommate for a year and he was more than happy to hand her off to his best friend, but not without a few words of advice about Sakura and her restraining order with the kitchen.

She put the delicious cake back on its place and sighed again for the nth time. Sakura hated to eat alone. Glancing at the clock, she decided she shouldn't waste all the bitchy energy to herself. It was time to impose herself on an unlucky chosen.

--

Prancing up to the Hyuuga branch house, Sakura's finger reached forward to ring the doorbell. After getting no answer, she remember with little satisfaction that the Hyuuga were not very hospitable people. She twisted the handle and entered when found it unlocked. Walking along the hall, she stopped in front of his room. With a smile on her face, Sakura began knocking; in a few minutes she would have a dinner buddy and all would be right in the world.

Neji opened the door in a state of undressed, the pink haired medic raised and eyebrow in slight amusement. Without caring that he was shirtless, Neji looked at the woman standing in front of him. Narrowing his silver eyes in understanding, he gestured for her to wait. Turning back inside, Sakura could tell he had returned his attention to whatever guest who beat her to his room. With a quick flick of his head, Neji motioned for the aforementioned guest to leave. A young woman emerged from within the Hyuuga's room, her fingers fumbling to button up her blouse. The woman ducked her head in slight embarrassment when she saw the pink haired medic.

"Get out," he said curtly and went inside, leaving Sakura to watch the Anbu's newest plaything disappear at the end of the Hyuuga corridor.

--

tbc-


	2. two

Cinderella at the Grave

By anna

_All general disclaimers apply_

_two_

--

"_I am because you are," _

--

The woman on the couch sighed and opted to spread her lithe body across the soft leather. Her shirt was somewhere on the floor and she could see the pink underwear peeping from behind the legs of the table. Licking her lips lightly, she could taste the saltiness of her sweat. Her delicious red mouth twisted when she noticed him putting on his pants.

"We've done it everywhere in your room except on your bed. I mean, I get if you like to keep it kinky, but my back can only handle the couch and the floor and the wall for so long," she said, her hand smoothing her disheveled silver hair.

He didn't answer and began to gather up the pieces of her attire on the floor. She sighed again knowingly, he always ignored her after, not that he was much of a talker before it or during the middle of it. The young woman smirked mischievously; she got up and made her way toward the deliciously comfy white bed. She gasped when and arm shot out and held her wrist.

"You're hurting me," she complained at the strength of his grip.

"Don't ever sit on my bed," the Hyuuga said monotonously, his voice was low and threatening.

Droll knocking on his door made him turn his head, and Neji let go of the woman's wrist. He opened the door revealing the pink haired medic. His silver eyes narrowed slightly and nodded. Turning back inside, he motioned for the naked woman to put on her clothes.

"Get out,"

After the delectably beautiful woman left his room, Sakura sauntered in.

"So drop dead gorgeous is your type, figures," she commented with a slight tone of jealousy and plopped herself down on his luscious white bed.

"No, the unattainable is my type," the ANBU captain corrected and began to put on his shirt. At his action, Sakura pouted in mocked displeasure.

"You'll forever look for her then, because that woman does not exist. Once you have her, she'll no longer be the unattainable. A nasty catch 22 really." Sakura began snuggling under his sheets as per her habit.

"A woman whose mind I can never conquer," he said and raised an eyebrow at the medic who was currently burying her face in his pillow, "you're here because you want food, don't you?"

She pulled the white sheet off of her head, revealing a sheepish smile. The Hyuuga moved forward and brushed a few strands of pink hair from her face.

"Get up, I'll make something,"

It was almost unfair really, a mind with an affinity for insanity _is, _unfortunately, an unattainable mind.

--

The tension in the air was undeniable. Somewhere in the room, someone coughed. Sakura watched the scene in front of her unfold with slight amusement and a lot of fear. The two men had not broken eye contact in a very long time, red and silver locked in a battle of determination. Finally, Sakura had enough of men and their testosterone.

"Honestly, this is the fifth argument in a week," Tenten said, her fingers tugging at the loose bun in boredom, or indifference.

"It's almost as if they have an urge to get confrontational every time they see each other," Ino supplied.

"Well, Sasuke-kun can either indulge his "masculine" urges with Neji or with me," Sakura stood up and prepared to leave.

On her way out, she dragged a grateful blond man with her.

"Who gave you permission to walk out during a meeting?" the deep voice of one Uchiha Sasuke shot out irritably at her.

His intended stopped and placed a hand at her waist challengingly, "Oh? I didn't realized we were having a meeting, it seemed more like a private rendezvous with Neji,"

_Yea! Why don't you just marry him? _The childish voice inside her supplied mockingly.

His dark eyes narrowed dangerously, wearily warning her that she was treading on hazardous ground. Behind him, the other Anbu captain was sitting in silence. Today's argument had been particularly heated; the Hyuuga could vaguely pinpoint that the source of the Uchiha's irritability stemmed from one Sakura Haruno's disappearance last night.

"Sit down Sakura," Neji commanded, his voice was firm with the authority of a superior.

Sakura's annoyance mounted to new heights when she found herself the object of the two Anbu captains' angry glares. Upon realizing that a nasty scene was in the making, Sakura opted to submit. Naruto shot her a comforting look and pulled the chair out for her.

"A plague, on both your houses," she muttered.

"You live with me,"

"And you constantly inflict yourself in my house,"

Sakura groaned.

--

"You didn't come home last night," he said simply, the infuriatingly beautiful dark eyes pinned her in a smoldering gaze.

Sakura blinked in slight confusion. Sasuke knew about her pet peeve of being left alone- he was also aware that she continually seek Neji when Sasuke wasn't there to keep her company. Sakura knew that her intended did not ask questions he already had the answer to- so what fresh new info he was trying to get from her, she found it difficult to play along.

"I didn't like being alone…"

"…And so you decided to seek another man's company," he opted to complete her sentence.

Sakura narrowed her brows at the comment reeked with innuendo, "The way you say that isn't very nice,"

"Because _I'm_ the one on shaking moral ground,"

"Are you jealous, Sasuke-kun?" she asked, her finger tracing the table's surface idly.

"Do I have a reason to be?" he retaliated quickly.

"Absolutely none, but you should be anyways,"

"Oh?" he raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Your jealousy makes me feel desired,"

He seemed to mull over her comment for a while and nodded his head in understanding. Sakura sighed, Sasuke was rarely jealous. When he was, it was always disappointingly anticlimactic and lacked passion. He approached the emotion with the calmness of an aristocrat and the precision of a strategist. But when his arm snaked over her waist to pull her closer, Sakura decided that it didn't matter.

--

She draped herself over his body and breathed him in. His lips curved into a slight smile and drew her closer. The ANBU mask hanging by his side poked at her waist, a reminder that he needed to go. Sakura frowned in his neck, if she couldn't handle a day without him- how was she going to survive with him gone for a month?

Neji watched the scene calmly and tried not to turn away when Sakura delivered a small kiss to her intended. He only cleared his throat when the small, singular kiss threatened to bloom into something less chaste.

"Your team in waiting Uchiha,"

Giving her hand small squeeze, the aforementioned man nodded politely to his co-captain. Walking toward the expectant teammates, the handsome Uchiha made a small detour to the stoic Hyuuga.

The two men shared a look of mutual understanding and averted their gaze to the woman who was currently fussing over a blond haired man. Naruto pouted but his sparkling blue eyes showed obvious pleasure at being the center of her attention.

"Keep her safe," he said firmly, it wasn't a request; it was a demand.

--

Neji kept his promise to his colleague. His vigilance, however, was almost at the same level as Sasuke's . Sakura found out within a week that Neji was as much of a worrywart as Sasuke was. When she got off her shift at the hospital, he was always there waiting for her patiently. Their walk back to her home was comfortable with a few laughs and jokes littered here and there.

Neji's companionship simply did not stop at walking her home, it extended beyond the plain "keep her safe". He cooked for her and even succeeded in teaching her how to make eggs. The feat made the pink haired medic jumped up and down in excitement like a child.

One day, after a sparring bout, the ANBU watched as Sakura sprawled herself across the grass in exhaustion. He raised an eyebrow in inquiry when she began giggling.

"That was…fun," she said, her head propped up under an arm to look at him.

"If bleeding and bruises give you pleasure, then be my guest," he answered, his side throbbed dully. It was going to be a nasty bruise tomorrow

Her attention was no longer directed at him, green eyes watched in fascination at two small squirrels on the tree adjacent to them.

"Look! Aren't they adorable?"

He smirked, Sakura was a capricious woman and he was more than willing to indulge her various whims.

"It's love," she sighed wistfully and squealed again when the squirrels began to tackle each other playfully.

Suddenly, something internal throbbed, and it wasn't his side.

"What is love?" the Hyuuga asked.

The question was rhetorical, but he still looked at her expectantly. Sakura gave a small smile and he half expected her to tell him all about her idea of girlish romances. He thought she would tell him that love was something indescribable, and the heart does that silly jumping thing when the eyes see the soul's beloved. He waited for her to tell him that her relationship with the Uchiha was the epitome of love.

But Sakura did something unexpected, she shrugged.

"Why are you here Neji?" the pink haired woman asked.

"Because the Uchiha made me promise to look after you," he answered, unable to decipher where her train of thought was trying to lead him. Maybe she led him nowhere.

"Sasuke-kun is a terrible worrywart," she agreed with a light chuckle, "but what did you promise him exactly?"

"I promised him that I would keep you safe," he answered.

"Nothing else implied?"

"There might have been small implications that I would feed you,"

Sakura's smile turned into a pout at the jab at her culinary skills.

"You didn't have to help me buy and carry the groceries or teach me how to cook you know? You could have just given me a box of instant ramen,"

"And leave you to boil your own water? I promised your safety, remember?"

She stuck her tongue out at him and he smirked in return.

"Is it alright for you to neglect other Anbu hopefuls?" Sakura asked, referring to his training.

"It's fine, Shikamaru can take care of them. Upon your request, I promised you my full services."

"Do you think I'll pass?"

"I have been training you for more than a month now. This past week, I'm constantly by your side; if you don't pass, that would be more of an insult to my skills." he said with an air of arrogance.

"I heard from Hinata that for a week Hiashi-sama has been requesting your presence at the main house for some clan business,"

"Yes he has."

"Why are you here Neji?" she echoed her earlier question.

"I am because you are,"

Neji Hyuuga was a genius. Geniuses understood innuendos. Belonging to Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno understood geniuses.

… _Ah… Sasuke… the dead ringer_

--

tbc-


	3. three

Cinderella at the Grave

By anna

_All general disclaimers apply_

_three_

--

_From the very beginning, she led him nowhere. _

--

That morning, a messenger came.

Sakura received the piece of paper with no little fear. The Anbu offered to stay with her but she declined- she didn't know who he was and was not tempted to display her anguish to a man with no face and no name. After the black op left as quietly as he entered, Sakura opted to sit on the luxurious Uchiha couch. With a flick of her fingers, she burned the letter to crisp, courtesy of Sasuke. Sakura was not interested in answers she already knew, that was courtesy of Sasuke too.

She wondered why Naruto didn't come to deliver the news of death himself, the blonde was anything but a coward. Maybe Naruto took his best friend's death a lot harder, after all, they were on the same team- Naruto was the one who had to witness everything. Sakura, on the other hand, had the luxury to remember him as he really was- dignified and beautiful.

Slowly, she walked back to their bedroom, determined to make that her grave.

--

That night, a messenger came.

Neji received the piece of paper with slight curiosity. It was unsigned, but the perfect penmanship was her calling card. It was short and undemanding, consisted of a simple thank you for his time and an apology for her withdrawal from the Anbu exam. A thank you and an apology, the subtle contradiction made the Hyuuga growled in disapproval.

He wondered why Sakura didn't come to deliver the decision herself. She worked hard, and he was proud of her. If her abilities weren't ANBU worthy, Neji wasn't sure what else they would be good for. He did not spend all his time with the woman to let Sakura have her way now.

Quickly, he made his way toward her residence, determined to prevent Sakura from stupidly burying her skills.

--

The door was unlocked and Neji walked inside. The Uchiha manor was eerily quiet and the silence inspired thoughts of a ghoulish past. A woman like Sakura did not belong in a building like this, a place where even the sun was obstructed from view. She belonged in _his _house, on _his _bed.

Following the lamps on the wall, the Hyuuga stopped temporarily- in the past weeks, he had been a frequent visitor in the Uchiha residence, but never in the bedroom. The implications of all the activities that took place there were suffocating.

He saw her, the silhouette of a woman. Sakura turned around and Neji tried hard to push down the nasty feeling in his gut when he saw the trails of dry tears on her face. Something terrible happened and he was about to find out what.

"Neji…" she whispered, slightly embarrassed that he caught her in such a state of distress.

"Why are you crying?" no sooner had he said those words that his genius mind supplied the _only _reason of her agony. There was only one man who was capable of turning a strong woman like Sakura into a sniffling mess.

He was angry, angry at the Uchiha for being unbelievably weak. If Sakura belonged to _him_, Neji would never be stupid enough to die.

"You should go, Hyuuga-san," she said quietly, her face lowered.

Neji realized he no longer had the luxury of walking away. He simply invested too much of his time, his mind, his emotion on her. He didn't want to deal with her absence. Before he knew what came over him, Sakura was already glaring at him hatefully. His silver eyes descended to where his hand clutched hers. She tested his grip but ended in failure. The weak action belied the fact that if she really wanted to him to release her, she could.

"I don't belong to you," Sakura whispered.

"No, you don't. You don't belong to anyone," he answered, "not even to him,"

"I love Sasuke-kun,"

"But he doesn't love you. He did. He can't. Not anymore," Neji reminded, he didn't care when her hand began to shake. She was turning him into a sadist.

"What can I do to convince you to let go?" the ring on her finger intensified the pain of his grip.

"Simply request it so," Sakura was used to such intensity in the eyes, but there was something different between silver and onyx.

"You won't,"

The Hyuuga scoffed in agreement. Of course he wouldn't, he wasn't stupid enough to let her go simply because she decided to "request it so".

"It's starting to hurt," that was a lie, and they both knew that too. Or maybe it was the truth, depended on _what _was doing the hurting. But he indulged her anyways, just like he indulged her everything else. He let go of her hand and promptly left the room.

--

The first time Sasuke came back to the village, she hated him, but at least when she proceeded to beat the living shit out of him, he responded. She hated him the second time too, but there was no point trying to beat a heart that won't reciprocate.

She wondered if he was ok about leaving without first formally making her an Uchiha. She wondered if he thought of her.

The soil beneath her feet was still moist; Sakura shook off her sandals and dug her toes in the cold ground. The old Uchiha grave site was just that… old. He was the first addition in seven years, Sasuke had ferociously opposed the notion of burying Itachi there, and he was going to be the last in a long time. It needed some flowers, she concluded. But the young Uchiha would never assent to something so trivial like _flowers. _Maybe she could plant tomatoes there. It could give her something productive to do. She liked red and she was pretty sure Sasuke did too.

--

Strolling back to the Uchiha manor, she was bathed in a sense of peacefulness. Sakura was taking his death a little too well. It was odd; she remembered how hard she cried the night he left. Back then, she did not know whether he would ever return home; but now, he was home and he wasn't going anywhere.

Sakura pushed the heavy door open and walked inside. She felt so small and insignificant in that large house. She had wanted to fill the space with little Uchiha children, but when her hand reached her empty womb- she felt like a failure. They hadn't planned on conceiving, Sasuke had not wanted a child out of wedlock. When it came to reviving his clan, the late Uchiha wanted everything done right.

Naruto was still absent, she only caught a glimpse of his blonde hair during the funeral. Sakura did not blame him; they would both break down if they saw each other.

The medic was hungry when she entered the kitchen. Mildly thanking Neji for teaching her survival skills, Sakura began making her dinner. The scrambled eggs were nowhere near as fancy as when Neji made them, but at least they were edible. Eating her dinner quietly, Sakura heard the small squeaks of a mouse. She felt a peculiar sense of relief, knowing that she wasn't the only form of life in the house.

Putting her chopsticks down, Sakura remember how much she hated being alone. Neji would have been the natural choice, but she wasn't sure she wanted to continue the conversation they left hanging a few weeks ago. The ANBU exams came and left without another visit from Neji. As much as she hated to admit it- Sakura missed his company.

She stood up with a new sense of resolve. It was high time Sakura stopped her ridiculous evasions and talked to the Hyuuga.

--

Walking up to the Hyuuga branch house, Sakura's finger reached forward to ring the doorbell. After getting no answer, she remembered idly that the Hyuuga were not very hospitable people. She twisted the handle and entered when found it unlocked. Walking along the hall, she stopped in front of his room.

A single knock announced her arrival and Sakura waited to hear the hasty shuffling of clothes. But when the door opened, the medic was mildly surprised when no beautiful woman ran out the door. Instead, the Hyuuga himself appeared. A head taller than she was, he had the liberty of looking down at her. The loose yukata he wore showed that Neji did not expect her but he immediately composed himself when green eyes clashed with silver.

Neji stared at the woman in front of him, with no intention of letting her out of his sight. After weeks of evading his presence, Sakura finally decided to seek him out and Neji was going to take it for all it was worth. The small smile she gave him was enough to coerce the ANBU to dissolve whatever hatred he felt toward her.

From the very beginning, she led him no where. But he'll be damned if he wasn't there when she decided to stop her endless wanderings.

"Get in,"

--

End.


End file.
